SENCo Nancy McEwan ponders whether the notion of Dyslexic Thinking is a help or a hindrance to dyslexic people.
I was diagnosed with mild dyslexia when I was in primary school. This was no surprise. I was born into a family of dyslexics. My grandfather, my father, and my cousin were all dyslexic. My biggest challenges were reading, spelling, and spatial awareness. However, I was never particularly concerned by my diagnosis because I was mainly in my own world (always conforming to those dyslexic stereotypes), and because inspirational role models surrounded me. My grandfather was the technical director of one of the largest engineering companies in the UK after spending his early career as a university professor. He was always proud of his Dyslexic Thinking. My father was also a director of a successful engineering company, and my cousin studied to PhD level. So it never really occurred to me that Dyslexia might hold me back. This was possibly short-sighted, because I did not have the technical thinking skills of my grandfather and father, nor the determination and academic prowess of my cousin. Fortunately, I did have a mother who fought for support and ensured I could efficiently read and write by the time I left primary school. I was never going to head up an international business or write a PhD thesis, but I would go to university and become a primary school teacher.
So, is Dyslexic Thinking a help or a hindrance? While challenging at times, it can be a help. I’m not sure it has been positive for me. Successful dyslexic people would probably say that their dyslexic brain has helped enable their success. The children I have taught who spend most days struggling through reading, spelling, and writing probably do not view their dyslexia as an advantage against their neurotypical peers.
The term Dyslexic Thinking was coined to describe the dyslexic brain. Dyslexia has always been associated with literacy difficulties, but is now associated with good communication, outside-the-box thinking, innovation and creativity. It has been suggested that this identification of dyslexia can be harmful, particularly for school-aged children. Yes, some children will present with Dyslexic Thinking qualities, but for others, their dyslexia remains a persistent, significant difficulty in specific areas, and there are children for whom school is just one long, hard slog. By celebrating the advantages of Dyslexic Thinking, we may risk neglecting the challenges and educational gaps that dyslexic young people might experience. Of course, we need to support all young people in accessing education in a way that is appropriate for them, and to do this, we must accept the challenges they face. I have certainly taught children for whom the challenges of dyslexia have been difficult to overcome. But are the obstacles created by their dyslexia, or by the system in which they learn? In my opinion, our state, mainstream education system is a one-size-fits-all model. In this model, the notion of Dyslexic Thinking is counterproductive in that it does not consider the bigger picture. Yes, for some children, school is a slog. However, that is not solely because of dyslexia—it is because the education system is not built to recognise individual weaknesses, let alone individual strengths.
We have had the internet for decades, and Artificial Intelligence is changing how the world works. We can communicate with anyone in the world at any time. People are now going to space for boujee weekends away. So tell me this: why are we still asking primary school children to use dictionaries when they can’t spell words? Why do we still expect children to have the same immaculate cursive handwriting? Why is reading speed still used as a key indicator of future success?
Maybe we haven’t been able to unleash the Dyslexic Thinking advantages of young people whose literacy difficulties are pervasive because we’ve never given them the freedom to find them. You could spend your whole school career in and out of literacy interventions, missing lessons that might open doors for you. We live in a world with spell check, word processors, Grammarly, audio books, and dictation devices. Why don’t we spend time teaching children to use such assistive technologies and take the heat off spelling and handwriting? Of course, some basic literacy skills are required to access these tools. But this is learning with a clear outcome. I feel these independent strategies would be far more helpful than years and years of failing at reading and spelling tests.
So, is the concept of Dyslexic Thinking a help or a hindrance? I don’t think it could ever be a hindrance. Yes, dyslexia can feel cruel, but this is because the world isn’t set up to recognise and utilise this kind of Difference. Our education has always focused on literacy skills and does not always take into account the significance of other strengths. This is what makes it feel cruel.
So maybe it’s time to shake things up. What is good enough, really? Let’s not panic if a child has literacy difficulties. Once they have mastered the foundation literacy skills such as basic phonetic understanding, let’s move on. Let’s use the assistive tools at our disposal and move on to focus on individual strengths, whether sports, the arts, STEM subjects, or becoming the next great engineer who will open up environmentally friendly space travel to all, and not just the filthy rich.
I didn’t have the technical thinking or academic prowess of my family. This is because I am not them. But I bring different qualities to the table. Dyslexic Thinking, or anything that makes us different, should be celebrated and encouraged. Our systems need to reflect and facilitate that.
And yes, I did use AI to help write this article.